A Message from our New Director
Dear Colleagues and Community Members,
It is a great honor to begin the position of IHGMS Director and build on the tremendous contributions of the institute’s two previous directors, James Young and Alon Confino z’’l, as well as the interim directors, Jon Olsen and David Mednicoff. For those who don’t know me, I’m a scholar of the East European Jewish Holocaust experience and draw from both historical and literary methods in my work. For the past seven years, I have taught at Tel Aviv University and, for the past five, run the Jona Goldrich Institute for Yiddish Language, Literature and Culture.
There are many things that excite me about working at UMass: the university’s dedication to high-quality, accessible public education; the diversity of the student body; the depth of international research conducted here and the university’s connection to the surrounding local communities. I hope to integrate these values and constituencies into the IHGMS’s plans for the coming years.
This is obviously a challenging time to run an institute dedicated to Holocaust and genocide studies. I am committed to navigating these current challenges with integrity, scholarly care as well as an open mind—and hope that you will join me in this process.
One great way for me to get to know you—our local, international, scholarly and lay community members—is to see you at events, either in-person or online. Please take a look at the upcoming events we have planned for later in the year. Mark your calendars and stay tuned for more.
With gratitude for all those who have made this work possible,
Hannah Pollin-Galay
Pen Tishkach Chair of Holocaust Studies
Director, Institute for Holocaust, Genocide and Memory Studies
In Memoriam: Alon Confino
Alon Confino, Director of the Institute for Holocaust, Genocide, and Memory Studies and Professor of History and Judaic and Near Eastern studies, passed away on June 27 after a long illness.
Recording of Alon Confino Memorial Event held at the IHGMS on 9/20/2024
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